Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T1/00—General purpose image data processing
  • G06T1/0021—Image watermarking
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/32101—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
  • H04N1/32144—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
  • H04N1/32149—Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
  • H04N1/32203—Spatial or amplitude domain methods
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/32101—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
  • H04N1/32144—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
  • H04N1/32149—Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
  • H04N1/32203—Spatial or amplitude domain methods
  • H04N1/32219—Spatial or amplitude domain methods involving changing the position of selected pixels, e.g. word shifting, or involving modulating the size of image components, e.g. of characters
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/32101—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
  • H04N1/32144—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
  • H04N1/32149—Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
  • H04N1/32203—Spatial or amplitude domain methods
  • H04N1/32251—Spatial or amplitude domain methods in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/32101—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
  • H04N1/32144—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
  • H04N1/32149—Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
  • H04N1/32203—Spatial or amplitude domain methods
  • H04N1/32261—Spatial or amplitude domain methods in binary data
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/32101—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
  • H04N1/32144—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
  • H04N1/32149—Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
  • H04N1/32288—Multiple embedding, e.g. cocktail embedding, or redundant embedding, e.g. repeating the additional information at a plurality of locations in the image
  • H04N1/32304—Embedding different sets of additional information
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/32101—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
  • H04N1/32144—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
  • H04N1/32149—Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
  • H04N1/32309—Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations in colour image data
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
  • H04N21/20—Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
  • H04N21/23—Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
  • H04N21/238—Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams
  • H04N21/2389—Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
  • H04N21/23892—Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
  • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
  • H04N21/83—Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
  • H04N21/835—Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates
  • H04N21/8358—Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates involving watermark
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T2201/00—General purpose image data processing
  • G06T2201/005—Image watermarking
  • G06T2201/0051—Embedding of the watermark in the spatial domain

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method of incorporating a secondary image into a primary image.
• a method of incorporating a second image into a primary image comprising:
• the output image is adapted to be printed onto a printing image area.
• the method is used for security printing.
• a method for security printing comprising incorporating a secondary, hidden, image in a primary image, comprising the steps of: • creating a vectorial grid adapted for mapping on to the primary image area;
• vectorial grid covers a two dimensional array of straight parallel lines or curved parallel lines, or a two dimensional array of dots where the dots define an array of substantially parallel lines.
• the decoder is an optical decoder.
• the second image is revealable by viewing the output image through the optical decoder.
• the grid comprises an array of curved lines. In another example of the invention, the grid comprises an array of straight lines. The lines maybe inclined to the top/bottom axis of the grid.
• the grid comprises an array of dots.
• the optical decoder comprises a lenticular screen or grating with the like spacing to the vectorial grid.
• the vectorial grid could be comprised of wavy lines or a wavy array of dots.
• the optical decoder has similar characteristics.
• a method for security printing involving off-set dots in a security area is described in WO 01/87632.
• the printing screen is modified, and a special decoding screen used to detect a hidden image in the modified area.
• the modification is not, even though only slight, per se undetectable by the naked eye, and has to be disguised through the use of peripheral dots "tapering off” the dot displacement with respect to background dots.
• Security printing produced by the method does not necessarily show up on photocopying, so it may be arranged that photocopies may be made without the copier realising there is a hidden image, but that they would be detectable by the appropriate decoder screen.
• Figure 1 is a primary image
• Figure 2 is a secondary image
• Figure 3 is a first vectorial grid
• Figure 4 is the grid of Figure 3 deformed using data from the secondary image
• Figure 5 is an encoded vector image being the primary image mapped on to the deformed vectorial grid of Figure 4;
• Figure 6 is an encoded bit map image made by applying the deformed grid of
• Figure 7 is a second vectorial grid
• Figure 8 is the grid of Figure 7 deformed using data from the secondary image
• Figure 9 is an encoded vector image obtained by applying the deformed grid of Figure 8 to the primary image
• Figure 10 is an encoded bit map image obtained by applying the deformed grid of Figure 8 to the primary image
• Figure 11 shows a first decoding screen
• Figure 12 shows a secondary decoding screen
• Figure 13 shows the effect of using an appropriate decoding screen on an encoded image.
• FIG. 1 illustrates the methods for security printing comprising incorporating a secondary, hidden image (Figure 2) in a primary image ( Figure 1 ), comprising the steps of:
• Such hidden information being revealable by means of a decoder screen which discloses the vectorial grid information.
• Figure 3 shows a vectorial grid of straight lines
• Figure 7 shows a vectorial grid of wavy lines, in each case inclined to the top/bottom axis A-A of the image space.
• the lines could, in each case, be replaced by corresponding arrays of dots.
• Figures 5, 6, 9 and 10 contain no information visible to the naked eye that they are other than they appear. They can even be arranged to be photocopiable without any hidden image showing up in the copy, although, of course, it can readily be arranged, by an convenient prior art techniques, that they are also not photocopiable.
• Figure 11 shows a first decoding screen 11 suitable for use with images generated using the vectorial grid of Figure 3. It comprises a transparent decoding lens, which can be moulded in clear plastic, with cylindrical lenticules 12 aligned and spaced exactly as the vectorial grid lines by Figure 3.
• a decoding screen suitable for images generated using the grid of Figure 7 would be similar, but with the lenticules 12 made wavy, corresponding to the waves of the Figure 7 grid.
• Figure 12 illustrates a decoding screen 13 suitable for use with a vectorial grid comprising an array of dots rather than a grid of lines. Instead of the cylindrical lenticules of Figure 11 , it has spherical lenticules correspondingly arrayed to the dots of the vectorial grid.
• Figure 13 shows how the hidden secondary image is revealed when overlain with a decoding screen.
• the method is suitable for both monochrome and colour images, and can be used equally well on still images and on movie frames, when the secondary image can itself be a movie image.
• multiple secondary images can be hidden within different separations of a colour output of type CYMK (cyan, yellow, magenta, black), RGB (red, green, blue), or multiple spot colours.
• CYMK cyan, yellow, magenta, black
• RGB red, green, blue
• the different hidden images can be revealed individually by different colour filter decoding screens.
• the secondary image may be a low-resolution raster image, and may be in colour.
• the primary image may be a flat tint and the greyscale density from the secondary image used to encode it - the result looks like a flat tint.
• the hidden data in the final picture is revealed by a decoder screen which can comprise a lenticular screen or a grating, which may be of straight or wavy lines, or an array (straight or wavy) of dots.
• Multiple secondary images can be used in this way for different colours, as before, to make a CYMK, RGB or multiple spot colour image.
• a "still" movie can be made by incorporating within a primary image date from a plurality of time-linked secondary images. As the decoder screen is turned through different angles, the secondary images are revealed in sequence. Whilst this can, of course, be used in a security printing context, it can also be of more general appeal, in children's publications, greetings cards and point-of-sale promotions, for example.
• the primary image may comprise an almost flat tint filled with microtext.
• the secondary image can be of line work or a grey scale image, and distorts the primary image by shifting letters or letter sequences in the microtext relative to others. The decoder reveals the hidden image. Microtext will usually defeat photocopying because the photocopier does not have the resolving power to reproduce microtext.
• the frequency of the lines or dots may vary across the grid.
• the grid comprises lines
• the spacing of two adjacent lines in the grid may be different from the spacing between another two adjacent lines in the grid.
• the method can be configured in printer-driving software.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Printing Methods (AREA)
• Editing Of Facsimile Originals (AREA)
• Apparatus For Radiation Diagnosis (AREA)
• Image Processing (AREA)
• Developing Agents For Electrophotography (AREA)
• Inks, Pencil-Leads, Or Crayons (AREA)
• Ink Jet Recording Methods And Recording Media Thereof (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Families Citing this family (9)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2002
  • 2002-02-08 GB GBGB0202962.7A patent/GB0202962D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2003
  • 2003-02-08 EP EP03737384A patent/EP1477026B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-02-08 DK DK03737384.2T patent/DK1477026T3/da active
  • 2003-02-08 PT PT03737384T patent/PT1477026E/pt unknown
  • 2003-02-08 ES ES03737384T patent/ES2365903T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-02-08 WO PCT/GB2003/000551 patent/WO2003067892A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-02-08 SI SI200332029T patent/SI1477026T1/sl unknown
  • 2003-02-08 AT AT03737384T patent/ATE511682T1/de active
  • 2003-02-08 US US10/503,996 patent/US7512248B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-02-08 AU AU2003209970A patent/AU2003209970A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2011
  • 2011-08-26 CY CY20111100817T patent/CY1111781T1/el unknown

Patent Citations (6)

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